Conference: “Parliamentary War Powers – National and European Perspectives”

The Ghent Rolin-Jaequemyns International Law Institute (GRILI) and the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (GGS), together with Pax Christi Vlaanderen and Vredesactie, cordially invite you to a one-day conference on "Parliamentary War Powers – National and European Perspectives" (25 May 2018, Belgian Federal Parliament, Brussels).

The aim of the conference is to discuss the democratic oversight in respect of military operations abroad, in particular by looking at parliamentary involvement in the initial decision to deploy troops, as well as during and after the operations. To this end, the conference will bring together a range of experts to examine, for instance, to what extent there has been an increased 'parliamentarisation' of war powers in recent years and what factors may account for this trend, and how the need for transparency and democratic accountability can be reconciled with the dictates of national security and confidentiality. Furthermore, speakers will examine how parliamentary war powers have been shaped differently in different European countries, what factors account for this, and what lessons learned can be drawn from the experience in countries such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Building on the experiences in neighbouring countries, a stakeholder debate will subsequently address the situation in Belgium, where formal parliamentary war powers currently remain limited. A final conference panel will address the related issue of democratic accountability at the EU level, specifically in respect of operations pursuant to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

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